U.S.
Wichita police release driver after fatal youth soccer-field crash
Police said the 34-year-old woman was released after investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses and consulted the Sedgwick County district attorney. The cause of Saturday’s crash remains undetermined.
Executive summary
- The driver was released as tests remain pending: Wichita police said the 34-year-old woman was released after investigators consulted the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. Toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the pickup are pending, and police said no charges had been filed as of Sunday.[1][2]
- Two people died and 10 others were injured: The Saturday crash at Stryker Sports Complex killed 6-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer, police said. Ten people, ages 5 to 68, were injured; a separate 61-year-old patient was taken to a hospital for an unrelated medical complication.[1][3]
- Police say the inquiry is still open: Investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses and are working to determine what led the pickup to enter the field. Police have not announced a cause or motive, and the release does not describe a charging decision beyond saying no charges had been filed at the time of the update.[1][2]
Wichita police said Sunday that the 34-year-old woman who was driving the Chevrolet pickup had been released after investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses and consulted the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office. Toxicology results and a mechanical examination of the vehicle remain pending. Police said no charges had been filed and that investigators were continuing to determine the circumstances of the crash.[1][2][3]
The release is an update to an active investigation, not a finding about how the crash happened. Police have not announced a cause or motive. The driver has not been publicly identified; AP reported that two of her children were in the pickup and another was playing soccer on a different field at the complex.[1][2]
The pickup entered a field at the Stryker Sports Complex in northeast Wichita during a youth soccer event on Saturday, Oct. 17. Police said the preliminary investigation found the truck had been parked near the fields before it drove onto one and struck multiple children and adults. The department received calls about the incident at about 3:25 p.m. local time.[1][2]
Police identified the people killed as Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both of McPherson, Kansas, and said they were not related. Ten people from 5 to 68 years old were injured and taken to hospitals with noncritical injuries. A 61-year-old woman was also hospitalized for a medical complication police said was unrelated to traumatic injuries, bringing the total transported to 11.[1][3]
Police said investigators interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the driver and two children who were in the pickup, before speaking with the driver. The department has asked people with video or photographs from the complex to contact investigators. Its public statement does not establish whether a medical event, a vehicle problem or another factor contributed to the crash.[1][3]
The remaining public facts are limited: police have described the vehicle’s path as a preliminary finding, released the driver while tests and the inquiry continue, and said no charges had been filed as of Sunday. Further conclusions depend on the ongoing investigation.[1][2]